(November 22, 1999) Twentieth Century Fox has announced that the year's biggest blockbuster, Star Wars Episode I : The Phantom Menace, will be re-released in theaters next Friday, December 3rd, for an exclusive one week engagement with all grosses going to charity. George Lucas' hit prequel originally opened to widespread fanfare on May 19th and enjoyed a recordbreaking theatrical run collecting $427,709,795 at the domestic box office before leaving theaters on November 4th.

Now, Fox will bring the story of Anakin Skywalker back into theaters across the United States and Canada for a seven-day run where 100% of each ticket dollar will be donated to local charities decided upon by theater owners. The studio estimates that Episode I will dock in 750 cinemas in about 350 cities and raise money for a total of 177 charitable organizations. Toy manufacturers Hasbro and Lego Systems will help advertise the re-release.